Why did I become a Catholic? The Longer Version Part 4 From Methodist to Catholic - Sacramentals

I still feel like there are thousands of things that I want to share with you and there is so little time and energy to do so.  My mind and my heart flit from one beautiful facet of the truth of the gospel to another saying, "Oh! I want to share this with them and share that with them and I must not forget to write about this..."  And I know a lot of you already know many of these things but as Peter told believers in his 2nd letter, "Therefore, I will always remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth you have." 2 Peter 1:13 NABRE

So I want to begin to write about sacramentals because they are one of the facets of the Catholic Church that drew me during my time with my beloved Methodist brothers and sisters.  I have already mentioned some of them such as holy cards which have pictures and prayers on them and little prayer books one can carry around in one's pockets or purse.  Sacramentals are material or physical objects and actions that help raise one's heart and mind to God and the things of God in obedience to the Apostle Paul's many admonitions in his letters such as Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

They include actions like making the sign of the cross, genuflection (a momentary kneeling with one knee), prostration (laying oneself down on the floor), bowing, folding one's hand in prayer, blessings and on and on.

They also include objects such as crosses, crucifixes (crosses with the body of Jesus on them), pictures, statues, holy water, holy cards, prayer books, rosaries, medals, and on and on.

As I like to say, it's physical or incarnational.  God's son, the Word of God, was spirit like Him before the incarnation or becoming flesh.  But now Jesus is one of us.  And we are not just spirit or intellectual, we are physical.  When Jesus healed, sometimes He just spoke a word from a distance and other times He used physical means.

And most importantly, it works. 

And you can say, "Well, what about all those people who are just going through the motions or are doing them for the wrong reasons and ..."  We can do that with anything, no matter what our faith tradition or lack thereof.  That is part of our human condition.

Simple illustration of the effectiveness of a sacramental.

Lyric by Chris Tomlin from Here I am to Worship, "I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross."

Howard looking at, meditating on and feeling with his fingers a crucifix with the battered and twisted body of Jesus on it, thinking of the Gospel accounts and Chris Tomlin's song.  A light begins to dawn, a feeling begins to stir and a tear begins to trace its way down Howard's cheek, a heart begins to change...

May God bless you, my brothers and sisters/